Halloween needle scare was a hoax, Pennsylvania prosecutor says

The children who reported needles in Halloween candy took back their statements, a prosecutor says.
(Kennett Square Police Department
)

Reports that trick-or-treaters in a Philadelphia suburb found needles stuffed in their Halloween candy turned out to be made up, officials said Friday, the latest in a season of similar hoaxes across the country.

In the days before and after Halloween this year, reports of razor blades in Rice Krispies Treats, needles in Twizzlers and pot-laced chocolates made headlines. It turns out most of the reports were hoaxes, though police still urge people to use caution before diving into Halloween candy.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said the children in Kennett Square who reported finding needles in their Twix and Snickers bars recanted. Such candy hoaxes tend to happen every year, Hogan said, but he's seen an uptick recently as more kids use social media, likely getting ideas there.

"It happens so often that law enforcement just rolls their eyes, because we know how it's going to end," Hogan said. "But we can't ignore it because what if it is that 1-in-1,000 case that's true?"

No charges will be filed in the Pennsylvania incident.

Other Halloween hoaxes around the country this year included:

-- A 16-year-old reported finding a razor blade in her candy during a Halloween community event in the Marion Center, Pennsylvania, area. State police say she made up the discovery and self-inflicted a cut in her mouth that took 23 stitches to close.

-- In Gloucester Township, New Jersey, a man was charged with making up a story about finding sewing needles in candy. He told police he was trying to teach his kids a safety lesson.

-- In Salisbury, Maryland, police say a teenager who claimed to find a sewing needle in a pack of Twizzlers later admitted he put it there himself. Investigators say he did not think the prank would go beyond his family, but his parents called police.

-- Police in Fort Worth filed charges against a father over claims he found a razor blade in a Rice Krispies Treat his child was given on Halloween. Police say he later admitted to inserting the blade himself.

-- In Hebron, Ohio, a man could face charges for falsely claiming he was given pot-laced candy at a pre-Halloween trick-or-treating event.

-- In Brainerd, Minnesota, police said a report of a needle found in a child's Halloween candy was a hoax fabricated by the child.